Page 120 of Love Notes & Lifelines
“You’re welcome.” He hangs up without saying anything else.
While we’re relocating, it might be time to restructure Crystal Waters as well—fucking teamwork.
Pocketing my phone, I exit my makeshift office and find myself wandering toward Laura’s room. That’s usually whereStella is when the girls are napping. And if Laura is having a good day, it’s where they play.
I knock softly and when I don’t get an answer, I push the door open to find Laura sitting up in bed with her hands clasped in her lap.
“Hello,” she says pleasantly, but gives no indication of where her mind’s at. Stella told me she’s been calmer since we moved her here. She hasn’t lashed out, but her nurse said it’s most likely a coincidence.
“Hi, Laura. Did they leave you all alone in here?”
She peers around the room as if it’s all new to her. “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” she asks instead.
“It is. My mother loved it here. This was her favorite room.”
“How lovely. Does she mind that I’m here?”
This disease is fucking awful. A beautiful woman is sitting here with no idea whose house she’s in or why she’s here. I couldn’t imagine waking up each day like this. It’s heartbreaking.
“No.” I clear my throat and the sad direction of my thoughts. “Not at all. Are you comfortable?”
“I am. My daughter’s coming to visit soon.” Hope swells in my chest. Is today one of the good days that Stella’s always talking about?
“Is that right?”
Her smile is hesitant, but I can imagine what it was like before her memories were stolen. The lines around her eyes and mouth show years of laughter. I hope that’s what Stella remembers.
“Yes. She’s away at college. She was nervous to leave me. Always worrying I would miss her too much. Of course I do, you know, but I’d never tell her that. She’s a worrier, that one. A helper too.”
My grin matches hers as I take a seat beside her bed.
“She sounds like a great girl.”
Laura sizes me up with a quirk of her brow. “She is. She’s the best. Loving and beautiful, but don’t go getting any ideas, young man. You’re much too old for her.”
“Me?” I scoff. “How old do you think I am?”
“You’re at least twenty-five, and my Stella is eighteen and going places. So you stay away from her. I know hooligans like you.”
I raise my hands in defeat and grin. I’ve never been called a hooligan before. “Fair enough. Can you tell me about her?”
There’s that smile again. It’s so similar to Stella’s it makes my heart skip a beat.
“It’s hard being a parent, you know.”
I nod in earnest because I’m learning that lesson now.
“I did my best, but sometimes she worries so much…” She stares at me for a moment and I silently pray this conversation isn’t over.
“It’s hard not to worry. I’m Beck, by the way.”
“Beck. Right. My Stella would like you. But…” She sighs, and my soul weeps. “We moved around a lot when she was young, and it changed her. She never wanted adventure—she wanted structure.” Her brow furrows as she speaks, but when she meets my gaze, her face transforms into a smile. “We chased the fun in life, you know? It’s just how I’m wired, but we lived bill-to-bill, and maybe young girls do need security.”
“I’m sure you did everything you could. No one has a perfect childhood, Laura.”
“Did you?”
Her question startles me. But then I glance around the room, and I can’t hide my truth. “I thought I did, but now I’m not so sure.”And all signs are pointing to the answer being no.
